Blue Lake Rancheria
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Overview
| Anticipated Award Amount | $11,498,810 | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant | Blue Lake Rancheria | |
| Application Title | Empowering Tribal Sovereignty: Creating Climate Resilience through Carbon Sequestration | |
| Sector | Agriculture and Natural and Working Lands | |
| Estimated GHG Reductions 1 |
Cumulative 2025‑2030: Cumulative 2025‑2050: |
|
Selected Application Summary
The selected application will support Blue Lake Rancheria in expanding a carbon sequestration program for wetland and forest ecosystems within the ancestral territory of the Tribe. The selected application will acquire and restore land around Humboldt Bay that is vulnerable to sea level rise. This area is experiencing the fastest rate of relative sea level rise on the west coast. Land restoration efforts will improve forest health to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the risk of wildfires, and associated air pollution. Land acquired through the project will also increase Tribal sovereignty and allow Tribal stewardship to increase regional climate resilience.
Key Things to Know
Based on information provided by the applicant, the selected project will deliver the following benefits to reduce GHGs and support communities 1:
- Acquire 250 acres of coastal land and 400 acres of forestland.
- Create 100 acres of wetland habitat from previously transformed artificial shoreline.
- Develop and implement restoration and carbon sequestration plans.
- Enhance cultural resources and traditional ecological knowledge among Tribal members and rekindle reciprocal ecological relationships among the Tribe and other organizations across the Blue Lake Rancheria ancestral territory.
- Build climate resilience through Tribal stewardship of the acquired lands.
Activities and benefits summarized above reflect the measures in Blue Lake Rancheria’s Priority Climate Action Plan (pdf) (2.6 MB).
1 The emission reduction estimates, as well as the descriptions of measures and benefits, were summarized from information provided by the applicant. These estimates, along with the award amount, are subject to change.
EPA will award grants to selected applicants once they meet all legal and administrative requirements. As of August 2024, grants are expected to be awarded by the end of 2024.
About EPA's Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) Implementation Grants
Authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s CPRG program will provide nearly $5 billion in grants for states, local governments, Tribes, and territories to develop and implement ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollution while benefitting low-income and disadvantaged communities.
For more information, visit Climate Pollution Reduction Grants.